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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Almost a month after the Symposium....and I am still harboring images and thoughts about all the people and sketches that filled those three memorable days. Thank you all for posting your comments and sketches....both before and after! They are truly inspirational. I could say 'ditto' to most everything that has been said. The instructors and participants, in my mind, are all first rate!

The wonderful sketches of Tanner Springs prompted me to add my interpretation. I have always loved this unusual park that is sometimes misunderstood by the public.( I'm a landscape designer, and live just outside of Portland) In quiet, contemplative contrast to Jamison Park just a few blocks away, Tanner Springs holds Nature quietly in the palm of it's hand. When Simo brought our group there for our final sketching, I was honestly worn out from three fantastic days of a non-stop symposium.... but determined to loosen up a bit and see things from a different perspective. Now I can't wait to go back this Winter...for an entirely different experience!

I generally work in pen and ink but have had a period in my earlier years of working in watercolor. Somehow life got in the way, and I recently have only found time to sketch or dable in artistic endeavors when we were off on vacation. No more! I have always known that drawing enables you to really see the world and all of those great details that the average person misses. Drawing is such a gift, and makes your life so much richer. Thank you all for bringing it back to me as an everyday habit....the moleskin now joins my camera as a constant companion. I look forward to coming to Lisbon next year!

Linda, it was fun to reconnect with you at the symposium and see your beautiful work. You inspired me to draw more when I took your class, so many years ago. It's great that we're both still at it. I hope to see you on one of our local sketch crawls.

Thanks for the comments everyone....I feel as if I've inherited a huge new family! Bill....I may have inspired you years ago, but you and many of my other former students are now inspiring me! I will definitely see you one of these days down in Portland, ( or perhaps the group would like to come out to our vineyard for a sketching session during harvest?....that might be November, if it doesn't warm up!)

about the symposium

In late July of 2010, the city of Portland, Oregon (USA), became a canvas for drawing enthusiasts from around the world as Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Urban Sketchers (USK) hosted the 1st International Urban Sketching Symposium. The three-day event attracted participants and presenters from diverse corners of the world. In addition to the U.S., other countries represented were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Mauritania, Italy, Japan, Singapore, the Dominican Republic and Spain. The program consisted of lectures, panels, exhibits and field sketching sessions led by a diverse team of international presenters with backgrounds in art education, architecture, illustration and journalism. This blog documents the experience since the Symposium was announced in March. A selection of photographs from the event can be found in this flickr collection. Sketches produced by participants during the event can also be seeing on the Symposium flickr group.

Other Portland resources

World Wide SketchCrawl Day

We'll be observing the 28th World Wide SketchCrawl on July 31st, the third day of the Symposium, in addition to the scheduled program. The global sketching marathons were started by San Francisco artist Enrico Casarosa in 2004. It's a day when people across the world get out to draw wherever they are. Visit the SketchCrawl Forum to arrange sketching meetups in Portland and elsewhere.